Dispensing cabinet



Juky 2, 1929. H. PARKER DISPENSING CABINET Filed Aug. 4, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 2, 1929. H. PARKER DISPENSING CABINET Filed Aug. 4, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,719,338 PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD PARKER, OF BERLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO BROWN COMPANY, OF BERLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

DISPENSING CABINET.

Application filed August 4, 1925.

This invention has relation to dispensing cabinets, particularly those from which in terleaved sheets such as paper towels may be successively withdrawn.

The paper towels, in such cases, are usually folded back and forth several times, the last fold of each towel overlapping and engaging the first fold of the adjacent towel of the packet within the cabinet, so that when one towel is withdrawn through the exit slot of the cabinet, the end of the adjacent towel emerges through the slot so that it may be grasped and withdrawn. Heretoforo, such cabinets have found application in the wash rooms of large buildings and hotels, but have not been used extensively for household or similar purposes.

The object of the present invention, broadly stated, is to provide towel dispensing cabinet construction of a simple and unique type, which will be especially adapted for household or similar use, and which will render efiicient service in operation.

One feature of the cabinet construction of the present invention relates to the back construction, which serves to retain the towels within the cabinet and to force or feed them forwardly to the exit or emerging slot at the front of the cabinet, as well as to permit the cabinet to be opened for the replenishment of the towel supply, or for other purposes. Another feature of construction relates to guiding means provided within the cabinet to direct the towels to the exit slot. Further construction features relate to means for the securement of the cabinet to a support and to means for locking the cabinet to the support. Further features and advantageous details and combination of parts will appear from the following more com plete description of an embodiment of the invention disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows in perspective view the back portion of a cabinet embodying the present invention, with the cabinet swung away from its support and its back fully opened.

F igure 2 shows in perspective the front portion of the cabinet.

Figure 3 represents a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 represents a section on the line 44 of Figure 1.

F igure 5 shows the cabinet in perspective Serial No. 48,097.

view similar to Figure l, but provided with a modified back construction.

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional detail view of the cabinet locking means.

Referring to Figure l, the cabinet as shown comprises an open-backed receptacle for containing a supply of inter-leaved towels, indicated in general. at A, to which is hingedly secured a back or cover B. The cabinet is preferably constructed of sheet metal, and the receptacle A. may be formed by pressing a properly cut blank by suitable dies, or it may consist of several pieces which have been suitably fastened together, as by spot-welding, or it may consist of an integral piece properly out and bent to form, with its abutting edge portions suitably fastened together. The receptacle, as shown. is of substantially rectangular or box form, and may have stamped raised portions D, in the form of rectangular panels on its sides, or any other design, for the purpose of ornamentation.

The towels T are inserted through the open back of the receptacle, and are supported by the bottom 1 in a standing or upright position, the towels facing the front 8 of the receptacle. To allow removal of the towels, the front 8 is provided with a central elongated horizontal opening or slot 2, through which the end of the first towel 39 extends so that it may be grasped. The edges of the front defining the slot 2 are rolled inwardly in the form of beads 3, so as to present a finished outside appearance and to prevent frictional resistance to the towels as they emerge from the receptacle.

To present the towels in proper position for emergence through the exit slot, within the receptacle A and welded or otherwise suitably secured to the ends 4 and 5, respectively, are the inclined plates or leaves 6 and 7, converging toward the ends of the exit slot 2. These leaves act as guides to properly direct the towels toward the exit slot, so that a packet of towels may be inserted into the cabinet without particular attention to their arrangement or their relative positions. The guides also tend to hold back the towels sufiiciently to permit ready withdrawal of the first sheet without, however, interfering with their normal progress or feed toward the exit opening, which is effected by means presently to be described.

In order to retain the towels in the cablnet and to provide for a feeding or forward progression of the towels toward the exit slot, the receptacle is provided with a back B hingedly secured thereto by spring hinges which tend to force the back against the towels in a manner to feed them forwardly toward the exit slot. For this purpose, the bottom 1 of the receptacle is provided with spaced hinge elements 10, formed by rolling certain edge portions on the bottom into tubular bead form. Similarly, certain spaced edge portions in the back B are rolled to form hinge elements 11, complemental to the elements 10. A pintle 13 passes through the several hinge elements and is secured to the elements 10, the hinge elements 11 being rotatably mounted thereon whereby the back may be lowered at will for the replenishment of the towel supply in the cabinet. The spring action on the back is effected by a coil spring 12 wound around the pintle 13 between the central spaced hinge elements 11, one end 16 of the spring engaging the under face of the bottom of the receptacle and the other end 17 the rear face of the back B, the spring thus tending to force or press the back against the towels so as to feed them forwardly to the front 8, to the very last towel. The edge portion 18 of the back contacting with the last towel is preferably rounded or curved somewhat, to prevent it from cutting into or becoming embedded in the towels. Before passing, it may be stated that the spring hinge construction also provides for the automatic closing of the back when the cabinet has been opened for replenishment of towel supply, so that the towels are not liable to accidental disengagement from one another or to fall out from the cabinet.

For the purpose of supporting the cabinet, one end of the receptacle A is shown as provided with spaced rolled port-ions 21 and 22, serving as hinge members. These members are -rotatably mounted on a pintle 24, secured to a pair of spaced pintle-supporting hinge members 25 and 26 on one end of a hinge leaf 27. Coiled about the pintle 24 between the members 25 and 26 is a. spring 15, one end 28 of which engages the rear face of the leaf 27 and the other end 29 the outer face of the end 5, this spring thus tending to maintain the cabinet against the wall or supporting structure 37. Upon swinging the cabinet away from the supporting structure when the cabinet is to be opened. the spring 15 is tensioned and tends to force the cabinet back to its former position. The leaf 27 is preferably provided with a plurality of holes 30 through which fastening means may be passed to engage the support 37.

Provision may also be made to lock the cabinet to the supporting structure (see Figures 5 and 6). To this end, I have provided locking means comprising a resilient metal strip 32, on one end of which is a securement plate 31 having holes through which fastening means may be inserted. The strip 32 has a protuberance or catch 33, constructed to engage in a mating indent or hole 36 in the receptacle A for maintaining the cabinet locked to the supporting structure. The outer end of the strip has a thumb clement by which the protuberance 253 may be disengaged from the indent 36 to allow the cabinet to be swung forward from the structure 37. \Vhen the cabinet is forced back to the wall by the spring 15, the end 4 engages the wedge surface of the element 35, forcing the spring strip to one side in a manner to engage the protuberance 33 in the indent 86 and to lock the cabinet to the wall.

Since the cabinet is locked to the wall in a manner to obstruct the back construction from view, instead of employing a back in the form of a plate, I may employ a back constructed of wire (Figure 5). In this form of construction, certain spaced bottom portions may be rolled in the form of be'arings 42 and 42, which serve to swingably support the wire back W. The wire may be bent to any suitable form, but as shown is of a wavy or sinuous configuration so as to bear on the towels over a substantial area, the ends of which are journaled in the outer bearings 42 and the central portion in the central bearing 42"*. In order to force the back 1V against the towels and to provide for automatically closing the receptacle, coil springs 45 are shown as placed around the wire between the bearings 42 and the upwardly extending wire portions 46, one end of each spring engaging the bottom 1 of the cabinet, and the other end the portion 46. The wire back construction thus also effects a forward feeding of the towels toward the exit slot.

By the construction hereinbefore described, I have provided a towel cabinet which gives efiicient service in operation. The towel supply may be readily replenished by disengaging the cabinet from the locking means, swinging it forward, opening the back, and then inserting the packet in the receptacle A without any particular attention to the alignment of the sheets. The back springs are closed as soon as it is released, so that accidental disengagement of the towels is prevented, and the cabinet is likewise automatically forced back and locked to the wall by spring action. The guides within the receptacle properly direct the towels to the exit slot, and upon grasping the end of the foremost towel which protrudes through the exit slot, and withdrawing it, the end of the next towel is presented so that a successive removal of the interleaved towels from within the receptacle may be accomplished.

The cabinet is primarily intended and adapted for manufacture in small units, each to contain about 100 towels, and is particularly suitable for household and similar use. Because of its compactness and simple construction, it may be manufactured and sold at a low figure.

Having thus described an embodiment of the invention, it should be evident that it is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A dispensing cabinet comprising a receptacle for containin a supply of interleaved sheets having a orizontal exit slot at the front through which said sheets may be successively withdrawn, a pair of inclined plates within said receptacle and converging toward the ends of said eXit slot for guiding said sheets in proper position for emergence, a back member hingedly secured to said rcceptacle, and means tending to close said back member and to press it against said sheets in a manner to produce a forward feed of said sheets toward said exit slot.

2. In combination, a dispensing cabinet comprising a receptacle for containing a supply of interleaved sheets, and having an exit slot at its front through which said sheets may be successively withdrawn, a pair of inclined plates within said receptacle and converging toward the ends of said exit slot for guiding said sheets into proper position for emergence, a back said receptacle, means tending to close said back and to press it against said sheets in a manner to feed said sheets toward said exit slot, a spring hinge at one end of said receptacle for swingable securement of said cabinet to a support, said spring hinge construction tending to force said cabinet against said support, and means for detachably locking said receptacle to said support.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

HOWARD PARKER.

hingedly secured to 

